Rosewood vs Mahogany

[Johan Madsen]

I know this poll is stupid, but it's so fun to chat about tonewood, so if you only had one guitar, which tonewood for back and sides would you choose?
Personnaly, I don't like rosewood that much (though there's exceptions). Overwhelming bass, tiny metallic trebles, overtones staying in the way and so on...I love mahogany

[GibbyPrague]

This poll has been done many times over..

[Johan Madsen]

Originally Posted by GibbyPrague

This poll has been done many times over..

I know but it's cool to have the opinions of the actual users of the forum !

[Silly Moustache]

I'm sorry but I can't vote, but apparently I can voice an opinion.

I have both woods, and I believe that it is a matter of the right tool for the job.

Rosewood tends to have a more complex tonality which is great for soloing, but I have found that simpler more direct tone of mahogany is sometimes better when playing in a combo (specifically bluegrass).

For simple strumming accompaniment, frankly - it doesn't matter.

I have four dreads - two hogs and two roses. They are the same make and same dimensions ... almost identical but different ages. Once the guitar (and thr player gets warmed up, all are rewarding to play, and it HAS happened that I've been picking and singing and suddenly thought - which one am I playing and had to look down to check.

I do believe that it is the maker and player that is more important.

The harsh sad fact is that your audience will never, really perceive a difference - so it is really a matter of personal perception.

[boombox]

I don't feel I should vote either!

I've owned 3 x RW and 5 x hog guitars over the past 30 years since taking up playing on a cheap Nato Fender Gemini (Yes, I am not a serial guitar flipper.). Of those, I still have 1 RW but 4 hog. However, any sales have been more about guitar shape than the woods concerned, and I agree with Silly on the maker making abig difference. I used to use only my Avalon jumbo in spruce/rw for open tunings, but of late my hog C10 has seen some serious playing time in DADGAD.

I think I prefer hog and had presumed my next guitar would definitely be hog, but then I tried a very nice sounding Brazilian Collings CJ, so you can never say never.

I should think that any poll results will be skewed towards mahogany though, given the demographic of members here - if there were more fingerstyle players and less flatpickers, I think RW would be better represented.

[Vinceletah]

I have 2 sitka top mahogany back and side guitars from 2 makers, and they sound nothin alike! I mean really nothin alike! One is Gibson, the other Eastman...

[HHP]

I would skip going to the polls as my experience tells me that the builder makes more difference in the sound than the wood. I have two guitars, both sitka and rosewood, both D size, different makers, and they are vastly different in sound.

[Kerbie]

No brainer… Mahogany by a mile.

[MissouriPicker]

I like mahogany. I like rosewood. I like maple. I like walnut. I like guitars...........Do the tone woods sound different? Sometimes, but not enough to matter. And the audience couldn't care less.

[The Bard Rocks]

Neither. Both are excellent woods, but there are other just-as-good woods that I am more interested in using, partly to be different and to explore new things, but also to lessen the impact we are having upon threatened resources.

[roylor4]

I didn't vote. Right now my favorite is all solid Sapele.

[ewalling]

Not a stupid poll, as far as I'm concerned. I've played a lot of mahogany and rosewood guitars from $600 all the way through to $4,000 by a variety makers, and, on the whole, I'd say it's far more likely that the mahogany will sound better to me than its rosewood equivalent. There seems to be a bright, sometimes shimmery quality in many of the hog guitars I've played and owned, and I really like that. I've often found rosewood to be a little dull or at least dark-sounding.

[Treenewt]

Well, I voted mahogany. I like rosewood, and would love to have a really killer rosewood dread someday. But if I had to choose one, it would be my Martin D18 (cue Norman Blake "Thank You Mr Martin right about now).

[mymartind35]

[QUOTE=I should think that any poll results will be skewed towards mahogany though, given the demographic of members here - if there were more fingerstyle players and less flatpickers, I think RW would be better represented.[/QUOTE]

I play fingerstyle. Hence, the vote for rosewood.

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by mymartind35

I play fingerstyle. Hence, the vote for rosewood.

I'm pretty much 100% fingerstyle; that's one of the reasons why I prefer mahogany. When I'm playing with my fingers, I need a guitar to have some natural brightness to it; otherwise, the sound can get too muted and dark.